Tardigrades Reproduced on ISS After 2025 Axiom-4 Flight, Advancing Space Resilience Research
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · May 26
Tardigrades Reproduced on ISS After 2025 Axiom-4 Flight, Advancing Space Resilience Research
2 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · May 26
Tardigrades sent to the ISS in 2025 were revived in orbit, then walked, fed and reproduced in microgravity before returning to Earth.
Axiom-4 astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla rehydrated the dried animals on station, while researchers at the Indian Institute of Science tracked the experiment live from Bengaluru.
The team is now comparing gene expression in the space-flown tardigrades with ground controls to identify molecular signatures behind their stress tolerance.
That resilience depends on Cryptobiosis: tardigrades dehydrate into a tun state, where proteins form a glass-like matrix that halts metabolism near zero and preserves cells.
Space agencies see the animals as models for long-duration missions, while related tardigrade proteins such as Dsup are also being studied to limit radiation damage in cells.
Can the tardigrade's DNA-shielding protein protect astronauts from deadly radiation on future missions to Mars?
If tardigrades survived their 2019 moon crash, what does this reveal about life's potential to spread between planets?
Tardigrades turn to glass to survive. Can we copy this trick to store human organs or vaccines without freezing?
Ax-4 Mission 2025: Indian-Led Tardigrade Experiment Reveals New Frontiers for Space and Medical Science
Overview
Launched in June 2025, the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission was a major international and commercial spaceflight that expanded scientific research on the International Space Station. With a diverse crew, including Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the mission focused on a wide scientific agenda. Shukla led several key experiments, such as studying muscle cell behavior in microgravity and investigating the resilience of tardigrades in space. These efforts aimed to solve challenges for future long-duration space travel and bring benefits to medicine on Earth, marking a significant milestone in global space collaboration and research.